The Nostalgia Chick

I recently Tweeted that next to Roger Ebert, Ms. Lindsay Ellis has become my most trusted film critic. I think Ebert is the most intelligent and clear-minded of film critics, but often as not I’ll disagree with him. When he argues that a movie is bad, his reasons are usually correct. I may still enjoy that movie, but it will be in spite of the criticisms, which I accept and agree to disagree on.

(copyright The Nostalgia Chick)

Ms. Ellis covers a different critical territory for me, so let me say that I’m in no way comparing her work to Roger Ebert’s. What Lindsay Ellis, A.K.A. The Nostalgia Chick, reviews are films, TV shows, and other sundry favourites, including recent releases, which are either things she grew up with or things which interest her now, or both. Also significant is the amount of research she and her team do when writing The Nostalgia Chick reviews. Her team, Team NChick, are made up primarily of her friends Nella Inserra and Elisa Hansen. They co-write and regularly appear in The Nostalgia Chick reviews.

Nella (Copyright Team N-Chick)

Lindsay Ellis & Elisa Hansen (copyright Team N-Chick)

While you could probably have read that bio on Wikipedia, what I’d like to talk a bit about is why I hold her work in such high regard. In the last little while, Ms. Ellis has gone from straight-up entertaining in her critiques to a focus on educating and enlightening in an entertaining way. She takes the time to educate about historical, social and literary context and builds a foundation for her critical analysis of a work rather than simply mocking a piece, questioning it or burying her point in gags. This latter method was used by The Chick early on, as her “character” was meant as the female version of Doug Walker’s original Nostalgia Critic. Over the years, Lindsay appears to have dropped most of those trappings and rightly so. As enjoyable as her original pieces were, her current releases carry much more weight and any viewer should see that she has grown as a critic, improving on what was already very good.

These days, I follow her on Twitter and occasionally ReTweet her posts, paying particular attention to her posts about movies she’s in the process of seeing, as in tweets while seemingly still in the theatre. The most recent example being her thoughts on the adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book “The Lorax”:

Lindsay Ellis ‏ @thelindsayellis
@eddievercetti there is no Eco friendly message. There is only stupid.

Lindsay Ellis ‏ @thelindsayellis
This movie is turning me into a robot capable only of HAAAAAAATE. HAAAAAAAAATE. #TheLorax #HAAAAATE

Lindsay Ellis ‏ @thelindsayellis
How the fuck did we go from an abandoned wasteland to corporate totalitarian dystopia? #TheLorax

In closing, I’d like to say that if you were enlightened and entertained by Ms. Ellis’s work in that review, I highly recommend checking out her other reviews on the site. Some recent favourites: Daria, her series on animated short films, The Adventures Of Milo & Otis and Song Of The South.

Peace!

***

(29/07/12) UPDATE: I attended ConBravo in Burlington, ON, Canada, this past weekend and had occasion to meet both Lindsay Ellis and Elisa Hansen, briefly, at their autograph signings and also ran into them in them in the halls long enough for them to graciously get a picture taken.

Me and Elisa Hansen (Copyright Patrick Lemieux, 2012)

Lindsay’s was especially interesting because of the timing. I’d gotten her autograph anD was leaving the hall with a friend when she walked by in hurry. Without thinking, I asked for a photo with her (at the autograph table the staff were limiting photos to only be taken off-stage, so as to keep the many people moving and to allow everyone to get their fair chance). Lindsay apologized sincerely, said she had to get back and to find her later. That was cool and I felt bad more for possibly delaying the ongoing autograph session, even for the few seconds the encounter lasted. Not long after, while we waited for another panel discussion to start, I was wandering about as my friend kept our place in line.

Past me strides Doug Walker, The Nostalgia Critic, also a guest at the convention. I’d just met him, too, at the same autograph table.

“I was going to talk to him about…” and off this fellow goes on a tangent about…something. I wasn’t sure what, until he was well into his point. I think. Anyway, it’s cool, we’re all friends at the con.

My phone rings. It’s Tom, my buddy waiting in the line. I don’t answer, but I know he’s letting me know to get back to the line, things are happening. Perfect timing. I hold up my phone to show this fellow I actually do have a call and say, “Yeah, I agree. Totally. Sorry, though. I’m being paged.”

“You better go!”

I do. I weave around cosplayers in nifty costumes (me in a simple “Save Ferris” [Bueller…not the band] t-shirt and jeans) and round a corner near the line, almost running into someone.

“Oh! Hey! I have time for the photo now,” says Ms. Ellis, the person I just now almost careened into.

“Perfect! Let’s do it!”

I hand my iPhone off and a picture is taken! I was happy to have met her briefly earlier and received an autograph, but am happier to get these few seconds captured in a photo.